Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Thursday 17 February 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make available to all those applicants under the Agricultural Business Improvement Schemes whose applications were not met in full, details of any proposals which it has or will bring forward for a new programme under the European development funding programme for the next five years designed to achieve the same aims as those of the original Agricultural Business Improvement Schemes.

Ross Finnie: Details of the proposed Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme, which includes proposed grant assistance to farmers and crofters, are already in the public domain. A copy has been lodged with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Asylum Seekers

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities in Scotland have indicated that they have the housing and educational resources which will allow them to accommodate asylum seekers and refugees and their families under the terms of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Iain Gray: Work is ongoing, involving all Scottish Councils either directly or indirectly, to set up a consortium to contract with the Home Office to provide for asylum seekers in Scotland under the terms of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. This work is not complete, but the expectation is that asylum seekers will be housed in major councils within the Central Belt.

Asylum Seekers

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and local authorities concerning the implementation of a voucher system for asylum seekers in Scotland under the terms of Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Iain Gray: This is a matter for the Home Office.

Children

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether school children’s parents or local authorities are responsible for children’s safety during journeys to and from school.

Peter Peacock: The responsibility for the safety of children during journeys to and from school will depend on the circumstances of particular pupils, the journeys they may have to make and the means by which those journeys are undertaken. In many circumstances authorities, parents and pupils themselves will share some responsibility. When authorities make provision for transport under section 51 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, they, and the transport operator, will have a general duty of care towards those pupils.

Culture

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the report by the Education, Culture and Sport Committee criticising the administration of Scottish Opera under its then General Director, Ruth Mackenzie, it retains confidence in her as a "Champion for Change".

Mr Frank McAveety: Ruth Mackenzie resigned as a Champion for Change when she took up appointment as a Special Adviser with the Department of Culture Media and Sport in November 1999.

Domestic Abuse

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to ensure that resources for tackling domestic abuse will reach rural areas.

Jackie Baillie: Bids for grant from the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund will be considered in accordance with the Application Guidance issued on 1 December 1999. The aim of the fund is to improve local circumstances and we expect to receive bids from local authorities covering both urban and rural areas.

Education

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary schools in (a) Glasgow and (b) Scotland currently have a pupil council.

Peter Peacock: This information is not collected centrally.

Elderly People

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will implement recommendation 3 of the Scottish Health Advisory Service report Services for Older People in the Southern Highlands .

Iain Gray: It is for Highland Health Board and the Highland NHS Trusts to consider and respond to the recommendations in the report. I understand that they are doing so and that recommendation 3 will be taken forward as part of the development of a Highland-wide strategy and action plan for services for older people.

Elderly People

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any proposals to encourage the greater involvement of elderly people in Scotland’s democratic process.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive is fully committed to promoting civic participation across all ages of society. The Policy Unit is undertaking a study exploring issues affecting older people and the scope for developing a more co-ordinated approach across the Executive. The Unit has been asked to identify opportunities for increased involvement and wider participation to ensure that older people’s voices are heard, their contributions recognised and concerns addressed.

Employment

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers to be the reasons for the loss of 150 jobs at New South Mills Ltd, Dundee and, in particular, whether the recent rise in interest rates and the current strength of sterling were factors in the job losses as stated by Dundee Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Henry McLeish: It is not appropriate for the Scottish Executive to speculate on the commercial decisions of companies. The UK carpet industry has faced very tough trading conditions in recent times.

Employment Tribunal

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what temporary arrangements have been put in place for the filling of the post of President of Employment Tribunals (Scotland) following the retirement of Doris Littlejohn.

Mr Jim Wallace: The appointment of the President of Employment Tribunals (Scotland) is a reserved matter. Under Regulations made by the Department of Trade and Industry the responsibility for the appointment rests with the Lord President of the Court of Session.

  I understand that the Lord President instructed that the vacancy should be advertised in the professional press and that a Selection Board should be established to interview candidates and make recommendations to him. The advertisement was placed in the Scots Law Times and in the Journal of the Law Society. The Selection Board will comprise Lord Johnston (Chairman) a Senator of the College of Justice, Mr John Elliot, Chairman of the Council on Tribunals (Scottish Committee) and Mr Bill Speirs, General Secretary of the STUC. Five candidates have applied and all will be invited to interview.

  Mr Colin Milne, one of the Regional Chairmen of Employment Tribunals (Scotland), is responsible for routine administrative matters on a caretaker basis. This conforms with practice the last time there was a vacancy for the office of President.

Energy

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Utilities Forum will next meet, and whether it will discuss methods by which utilities operating in Scotland will be encouraged to remove any premiums or other charges which may discourage the use of "green" energy among lower income consumers.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Utilities Forum will meet on 21 March. The Forum, which has been established by the private sector utilities in Scotland as a result of their participation in Pathfinders to the Scottish Parliament, will set its own agenda. I expect, however, that the promotion of renewable energy in Scotland, and issues of concern to low-income consumers are topics that will be addressed during its deliberations.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new businesses started up as a result of assistance from Scottish Enterprise and Highland and Islands Enterprise in each of the last three years and how many employment opportunities these businesses created in these years.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: The number of new businesses started as a result of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise assistance in each of the three years and employment opportunities these businesses created in these years are as follows:

  Scottish Enterprise

  


Year

  

New businesses

  

Employment Opportunities

  



1996-97

  

4,887

  

no comparable figures 

  available

  



1997-98

  

5,287

  

13,500

  



1998-99

  

5,433

  

10,500

  



  Projected employment opportunities shown are those which will result up to three years after the initial assistance.

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  In the HIE areas new business can be assisted through the Business Start-Up programme and the Finance for Business programme.

  

 

New Businesses

  



Year

  

Business Start-Up 

  programme

  

Finance for Business 

  programme

  



1996-97

  

294

  

323

  



1997-98

  

236

  

306

  



1998-99

  

227

  

221

  



  Between the two programmes, these new businesses were expected to support over 3,200 full-time equivalent jobs during the three year period.

Environment

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the outcome of the recent consultation exercise on shellfish water designation.

Sarah Boyack: A Direction is being issued to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to designate an additional 11 Scottish waters under the Shellfish Waters Directive (79/923/EEC). The designations take account of the views expressed in the consultation exercise.

  Scotland’s shellfish farming industry is an excellent example of sustainable development. It supports the rural economy by providing much-needed jobs in some of the most economically fragile areas of the country. Water quality is vital to this success story because it is a key marketing factor when the industry promotes its product worldwide. Designating the additional waters will safeguard quality so that they can support shellfish such as mussels, oysters and scallops. This will be good for the environment generally as well as for the communities who rely on shellfish farming.

  The waters to be designated are listed in the table below. A notice announcing the Designations will appear in the Edinburgh Gazette. A copy of the Direction to SEPA designating the new waters will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Maps showing the boundaries of the new designations will be sent to the Information Centre in due course.

  


Classified Waters

  

Description

  



Bay of Firth, Orkney Mainland

  

An area inshore of a line drawn 

  between the points HY404142 (Ferry Point) and HY390155.

  



Valia Sound, Shetland

  

An area inshore of a line drawn 

  between the points HU236470 and HU246470 and between HU225472 

  and HU223474.

  



Olna Firth, Shetland

  

An area inshore of a line drawn 

  between the points HU370640 and HU370651.

  



Loch Eriboll, North West

  

An area inshore of a line drawn 

  between the points NC490650 and NC455650.

  



Loch Laxford, North West

  

An area inshore of a line drawn 

  between the points NC172510 and NC189510.

  



Loch Kishorn, North West

  

An area inshore of a line drawn 

  between the points NG813376 and NG809379 and between NG809379 

  and NG829392 and between NG829392 and NG821400.

  



Loch Snizort, Skye

  

An area inshore of a line drawn 

  between the points NG233672 (Waternish Point) and NG359700.

  



Isle of Ulva/Mull (Loch Tuath)

  

An area bounded by lines drawn 

  between the points NM365422 (Rubha na Sroine) and NM370450 and 

  between the points NM450388 and NM480388 and between NM480388 

  and NM480394, extending to MLWS.

  



Seil Sound, Argyll

  

An area inshore of a line drawn 

  between the points NM765147 (Rubba na Moine) NM779147.

  



Loch Creran, Argyll

  

An area bounded by lines drawn 

  between the points NM900438 and NM900433 and between the points 

  NM978445 and NM978444, extending to MLWS.

  



Loch Crinan, Argyll

  

An area inshore of a line drawn 

  between the points NR790945 and NR783965 (Scodaig).

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what amount of revenues, charges and receipts received and accruing to Scottish Executive departments and agencies have been passed to Her Majesty’s Treasury since 1997-98 in total, actual and estimated, and in constant prices.

Mr Jack McConnell: In 1997-98 the total estimate for receipts was £1,552 million. The actual amount received was £1,539 million. Of this £1,298 million was retained by departments.

  I refer the Member to the answer I gave to his earlier question (S1O-964) for the corresponding figures for 1998-99.

Finance

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3276 by Mr Jack McConnell on 21 January 2000, whether it will quantify the estimated end-year flexibility within the Education, Culture and Sport budget and specify what it has been allocated to.

Mr Sam Galbraith: As a result of the end-year flexibility arrangements £1.8 million was held within the Education, Culture and Sport budget. This was allocated on the basis of £1 million to Scottish Opera and £0.8 million to Historic Scotland.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the proposals on infectious salmon anaemia, referred to in the Ministerial Statement of 15 December 1999 as having been submitted to the European Commission, in providing greater flexibility in handling the clearance of fish and in reviewing the criteria for how and when suspect sites should be designated; whether it has met with the Commissioner to discuss these proposals and, if not, whether it intends so to do, and when it will make an announcement to the Parliament as to the outcome of these discussions.

Mr John Home Robertson: The formal Commission proposal to amend the relevant EC legislation to allow greater flexibility in clearance of fish from infected farms will be discussed in the European Parliament Fisheries Committee on 22 February prior to likely consideration at a plenary session of the Parliament on 1 March. Depending on the comments made, the current plan is to table the matter for discussion at a council meeting later that month. I will advise Members of the outcome in due course. Meanwhile consideration of how the flexibility will be exercised and the review of site designations are ongoing. Preliminary discussions on the latter have been held with the European Commission.

Fuel Duty

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to extend Fuel Duty Rebate to school buses and whether it proposes to do so.

Sarah Boyack: Bus services provided or secured by a local education authority are eligible for fuel duty rebate if they are registered with the Traffic Commissioner as a local service, and if they are normally available to, and regularly used by, members of the general public.

  We have no plans to extend the FDR scheme to bus services which only take pupils to and from school. We have no information centrally about fuel consumption by these school buses and therefore no estimate of the cost has been made.

Health

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is putting in place to ensure family friendly employment practices operate within the NHS.

Susan Deacon: A Guideline Development Group (GDG) has been set up under the auspices of the NHS in Scotland Partnership Forum to develop principles and practices on family friendly policy issues together with model policies for use Scotland wide. The GDG is expected to report in the first half of the year.

Health

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the future of the NHS Management Executive Group.

Susan Deacon: As part of my programme for improving health services and increasing accountability, I have made it clear I want a new relationship between the Scottish Executive Health Department, the NHS and all those concerned with health in Scotland. The NHS Management Executive is an integral part of the Health Department and I expect it to work in partnership with the NHS, professional bodies, trade unions and other key stakeholders to improve health services for the people of Scotland.

Health

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding has been allocated for the treatment of drug and alcohol misusers and how this funding is distributed.

Iain Gray: Spending on drug treatment by health boards is being boosted by £6 million over a three-year period, bringing annual spend to over £11 million. This represents a 20% rise on previous levels. This funding is distributed via individual health boards.

  Funding for services for drug and alcohol misusers is also provided via local authorities, which received an increase of £51.3 million for 1999-2000, over the previous year, for social work services. However, funding to health boards for the provision of services for alcohol misuse and to local authorities for either drug misuse or alcohol misuse treatment services are not earmarked.

Health

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive why Tayside Health Board delayed nearly a year before allocating the additional £176,000 allocated to it for drug treatment services and how much of that money has gone to Primary Care Trusts to cover the costs of treating patients with a dual diagnosis.

Iain Gray: I understand that Tayside Health Board undertook an area wide review of drug services prior to allocating the additional funding allocated by the Executive as part of its continuing commitment to reduce drug misuse, cut drug-related deaths and help communities rid themselves of the scourge of drugs. Of the additional funding allocated, £83,000 - almost 50% - was spent on the treatment of patients with dual diagnosis.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time for cataract operations is for each health board at 1 January 2000 or the most recent date for which figures are available.

Susan Deacon: Information on the median waiting times for cataract surgery for the year ending 30 September is given in the table.

  Median waiting time for cataract surgery1: Year ending 30 September 1999p

  


Health Board

  

Median Wait

  (Days) 




Argyll and Clyde

  

85

  



Ayrshire and Arran

  

78

  



Borders

  

42

  



Dumfries and Galloway

  

121

  



Fife

  

114

  



Forth Valley

  

83

  



Grampian

  

103

  



Greater Glasgow

  

103

  



Highland

  

98

  



Lanarkshire

  

126

  



Lothian

  

78

  



Orkney

  

78

  



Shetland

  

80

  



Tayside

  

62

  



Western Isles

  

187

  



Scotland

  

87

  



  Source: SMR0.

  p Provisional

  Notes:

  1. Cataract Surgery defined as primary operation OPCS4 C17-C75 and any mention of ICD 10 diagnosis H25, H26, H28.0, H28.1 or H28.2.

Health

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how local people can apply to become members of their local health board or local Health Trust Board and what measures it is taking to monitor how accessible the application process is to local people.

Susan Deacon: People can apply at any time for appointment to their local health board and Trusts and their application will be considered when vacancies arise on the boards. Applications can be obtained from the NHS Public Appointments Branch in the Scottish Executive. Some appointments are also advertised in local and national newspapers.

  As I said in the debate on the NHS on 16 December 1999, I am keen to widen the range of members on NHS boards. I have since written to MSPs and MPs asking for their help in identifying local people who could contribute to their local communities by serving as a board member of a NHS health board or Trust. I am delighted to say that in response we have received nearly forty requests for applications. I also wrote recently to national organisations in Scotland, including a number in the voluntary sector, and I am happy to say that we are now receiving requests for applications as a result.

  We are committed to reviewing and modernising the system for making public appointments in Scotland and I am already taking steps to improve the processes for NHS appointments.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how the plan to stop giving Tayside Health Board patients direct access endoscopies to detect colorectal, throat and stomach cancer will affect the care and lives of patients.

Susan Deacon: The NHS in Tayside has no plans to stop direct access to endoscopy services. Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust is consulting GPs about the introduction of protocols for referrals to the endoscopy service. The Trust believes the proposal would provide a more responsive service to better meet the needs of patients, including those who might be suffering from cancer.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of wage inflation was or is assumed in health service budget projections for the years 1998-99 to 2001-02.

Susan Deacon: It is not the Executive’s policy to divulge its assumptions about public sector pay increases. To divulge the pay assumptions would be likely to prejudice future public sector pay negotiations.

Health

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would have cost to fund free prescriptions for those suffering from manic depression if the illness had been designated as life threatening in the years 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

Susan Deacon: It is not possible to identify separately prescriptions used to treat people suffering from manic depression.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of specialist dental centres which can offer alternative methods of pain and anxiety control to general anaesthesia throughout Scotland.

Susan Deacon: It is open to health boards and Primary Care NHS Trusts to plan further specialist centres in response to local needs. The Scottish Executive is currently considering how to promote and support alternatives to general anaesthesia.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assurances it can give that the savings made by the NHSiS as a result of the reduction in the use of dental general anaesthesia will be channelled into providing alternative methods of pain and anxiety control, especially for young children and phobic adults.

Susan Deacon: General dental practitioners have been reducing their use of general anaesthesia for several years in favour of administering sedations – the main alternative method of treating anxious patients. As the number of fees claimed for administration of general anaesthesia has reduced, the number of sedation fees claimed has risen and the upward trend is expected to continue. In addition, more funds will be channelled into sedation training for dental teams. The Scottish Executive is currently considering the fees paid in relation to general anaesthesia and sedation in order to encourage further the move away from general anaesthesia.

  Gross expenditure on general dental services as a whole continues to rise.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that the delivery of community dental services is not reduced as a result of an increase in the need for alternative methods of pain and anxiety control.

Susan Deacon: The delivery of community dental services will not be reduced as a result of an increase in the need for alternative methods of pain and anxiety control.

Health

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to implement and evaluate the Scottish Diet Action Plan .

Susan Deacon: Implementation of the recommendations of the Scottish Diet Action Plan is being taken forward steadily at both national and local levels through the continuing development, and delivery, of a wide range of initiatives, many in partnership with key interests. To ensure momentum in implementation, a national dietary co-ordinator is shortly to be appointed.

  Evaluation of initiatives is regarded as an essential tool in the effective management of the Plan’s implementation. The major evaluations underway of the Scottish Community Diet Project and the Scottish Healthy Choices Award Scheme, are current examples.

Health

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase National Health Service charges.

Susan Deacon: We shall lay regulations to increase National Health Service charges in Scotland from 1 April 2000. There will be an increase in the prescription charge of 10p, from £5.90 to £6.00 per item dispensed. This 1.7% increase is based on the All Items Retail Price Index for the period January to November 1999 (2%). This is in line with our commitment that NHS charges will rise by no more than the rate of inflation for the duration of the current UK Parliament, and means that prescription charges will fall in real terms.

  Prescription pre-payment certificates will go up from £30.80 to £31.40 (1.95%) for four months and from £84.60 to £86.20 (1.89%) for 12 months.

  Prescription charges are expected to raise almost £45 million for the NHS in Scotland in 2000-01.

  Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and most fabric supports supplied through the Hospital Service will be increased similarly.

  The maximum patient charge for a single course of dental treatment begun on or after 1 April 2000 will increase from £348 to £354. Only about one in every 1,000 courses of treatment will attract the new maximum charge.

  NHS charges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will rise by the same amount.

  Any increase in NHS charges over the duration of the current UK Parliament will be based on the All Items Retail Price Index for the November preceding the increase.

  The value of optical vouchers will increase by 2% overall from April 2000. This will ensure that the increased purchasing power effected last year is not eroded.

Housing

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the level of information made available to Glasgow’s tenants about the Executive Steering Group’s housing stock transfer proposals and whether the ballot to determine Glasgow’s tenants’ position on the stock transfer proposal is still due to be held in November.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Glasgow Housing Partnership Steering Group is preparing a framework within which tenants can be fully involved in shaping any proposal for community ownership. Full consultation with tenants will begin as soon as the Group has completed its work and the date set for the ballot will take account of tenants’ views.

Local Government Finance

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of any new burdens and commitments which have financial implications for local authority budgets, and whether it will quantify the changes which have been made to aggregate external finance and revenue support grant for this coming financial year to accommodate these changes.

Mr Jack McConnell: The provision made for new burdens and pressures recognised in the settlement for 2000-01 is set out in the table below:

  

 

£ million

  



Abolition of Advanced Corporation 

  Tax credits

  

38.5

  



Contaminated Land 

  

2.0

  



Assessors Costs

  

1.0

  



National Waste Strategy

  

2.5

  



Unidentified New Burdens

  

4.0

  



Housing Stock Transfer

  

0.092

  



Working Time Regulations

  

0.083

  



Deregulation (Weights and Measures) 

  Order

  

0.057

  



Air Passenger Duty

  

0.014

  



Hallmarking Regulations

  

0.003

  



Consumer Protection Regulations

  

0.003

  



  Note: Unallocated provision was made in the CSR for new burdens unidentified at that time. This has been added to the Miscellaneous GAE figure.

Local Government Finance

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why Aberdeen City Council was excluded from additional deprivation payments to local authorities announced by the Minister for Finance on 31 January 2000.

Mr Jack McConnell: Special deprivation payments have been targeted at those councils experiencing higher levels of deprivation, as measured by above average Income Support recipients as a proportion of their total populations. Aberdeen City is not amongst these councils.

  The payments do not pre-judge the outcome of the review of deprivation indicators within the distribution system that we are undertaking this year with CoSLA.

Millennium Dome

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any Ministers have visited or intend to visit the Millennium Dome as part of their official duties and, if so, what lessons they learned or hope to learn from such a visit.

Mr Sam Galbraith: To date, no Scottish Ministers have visited the Dome in their official capacity, and there are currently no firm proposals for them to do so. However, it is possible that opportunities may arise for Scottish Ministers to visit the Dome later in the year.

Prison Service

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial arrangements will be put in place to secure the future of the community of Longriggend following the closure of the remand centre there.

Angus McKay: None.

Raptors

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for implementing recommendations 20 to 23 on pigeon issues set out in the report of the UK Raptor Working Group.

Sarah Boyack: I refer Mr Mundell to my answer to question S1W-4163 in which I indicated that I have asked SNH for advice on the recommendations contained in the UK Raptor Working Group Report and how they might be implemented in Scotland.

Residential Homes

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many residential/nursing homes each local authority operates, how much it will cost each local authority to bring their residential/nursing homes up to registration standards by next year and how much money it is giving each local authority to assist them to achieve this goal.

Iain Gray: The table outlines details of residential homes operated by local authorities. Nursing homes are not operated by local authorities.

  At present, local authority residential homes are expected to operate to the registration standards set by that local authority. The National Care Standards Committee is preparing national standards, which the proposed Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care will use to register and inspect all provision on a consistent and person-centred basis. The proposed standards will be issued for consultation later this year. It will be for each local authority to decide how to provide or purchase care that meets the registration standards and accords with Best Value principles.

  Local Authority Operated Residential Care Homes as at 31 March 1998

  


 


Number of homes

  



LOCAL AUTHORITY

  

 




Aberdeen City

  

20

  



Aberdeenshire

  

20

  



Angus

  

8

  



Argyll & Bute

  

9

  



Clackmannanshire

  

2

  



Dumfries & Galloway

  

13

  



Dundee City

  

18

  



East Ayrshire

  

6

  



East Dunbartonshire

  

2

  



East Lothian

  

4

  



East Renfrewshire

  

2

  



Edinburgh, City of

  

24

  



Eilean Siar

  

15

  



Falkirk

  

9

  



Fife

  

45

  



Glasgow City

  

28

  



Highland Council, 

  The

  

22

  



Inverclyde

  

5

  



Midlothian

  

3

  



Moray Council, The

  

8

  



North Ayrshire

  

7

  



North Lanarkshire

  

14

  



Orkney Islands

  

3

  



Perth & Kinross

  

6

  



Renfrewshire

  

8

  



Scottish Borders

  

7

  



Shetland Islands

  

5

  



South Ayrshire

  

7

  



South Lanarkshire

  

15

  



Stirling

  

5

  



West Dunbartonshire

  

9

  



West Lothian

  

7

  



TOTAL

  

356

  



  Source: Residential Establishment Census Return.

Sales Law

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce a standardised age restricted sales law for products, such as alcohol and tobacco, whose sale is restricted on age grounds.

Susan Deacon: Products and services subject to age restriction are wide-ranging and some are governed by consumer protection legislation which is reserved. However, the Scottish Executive is examining measures for better enforcement of the law to tackle those who make illegal sales to young people within the powers available to the Scottish Parliament.

Sport

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to promote the development of sport in Scotland.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive has endorsed  sportscotland’s strategy Sport 21: Nothing Left to Chance which has the three visions of a country where sport is more widely available to all, where sporting talent is recognised and nurtured and where excellence in sport is achieved. The programmes we are supporting are designed to help the visions become a reality.

Sport

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to allow fans a greater voice in the football clubs which they support.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive is in the process of considering views from the football authorities and other interests, including the Scottish Federation of Football Supporters, on the ideas discussed in the Co-operative Party’s pamphlet  Mutualism - A Golden Goal? I hope to be in a position to make a statement on this issue in the next few weeks.

Sport

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to examine, qualify and register persons working in private and local authority owned fitness centres and gymnasia or as personal trainers in their clients’ own homes.

Mr Sam Galbraith: With financial assistance from  sportscotland, Fitness Scotland has set up the National Exercise and Fitness Register which vets, registers and monitors the qualifications of exercise and fitness professionals. The public can therefore check that they are receiving instruction from people who are appropriately qualified.

  We have no plans at present to introduce a statutory registration scheme but will keep the position under review.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1221 by Sarah Boyack on 27 September 1999, whether it has or is aware of any evidence, past or present, of abuse of monopoly position or anti-competitive practice in relation to Scottish flight supplements and, if so, whether it will refer such evidence to the competition authorities and in particular whether it will request the Office of Fair Trading to conduct an inquiry or to monitor this issue.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has no evidence that flight supplements on Scottish flights are in breach of competition legislation. If it received such evidence the Scottish Executive would refer it to the competition authorities.